LeBron, Shaq help Cavs to 102-93 win over Magic

ORLANDO, Fla.(AP) -- LeBron James didn't storm off the court this
time. Instead, he shook hands with teammates and anyone who
offered, walking to the locker room slowly with an ever-so small
grin.

He also departed Orlando with the most important thing this
time: a win.

James scored 36 points, Shaquille O'Neal provided an inside
presence and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Orlando Magic
102-93 on Wednesday night in a rematch of the Eastern Conference
finals.

Only this one had a different look.

O'Neal battled boos and bruises to score 10 points and keep
Dwight Howard in foul trouble for most of the night, giving
James and Co. all the inside strength they sorely lacked last
season. Mo Williams added 28 points to help the Cavs take a
15-point halftime lead, go ahead by 20 after three quarters and
roll to an easy victory.

"I think we just played with a sense of urgency," James said.
"We're in attack mode. The whole game we put pressure on their
defense. Shaq put pressure on (Howard). We were able to get him
into some foul trouble."

O'Neal did not speak with reporters after the game.

Vince Carter had 29 points, and Howard had only 11 points for
the Magic. Orlando was without suspended All-Star forward
Rashard Lewis, and his replacement, Ryan Anderson, who missed
the game with a sprained right ankle.

The Magic didn't want to offer any excuses.

"We're not playing great basketball right now," Carter said.
"For us to win and be as good as we want to be, we have to want
it. We have to go get it."

Cleveland's Delonte West was inactive for the game for what
coach Mike Brown said afterward was an "internal matter." West
was indicted Tuesday on additional weapons and traffic charges
stemming from his Sept. 17 arrest for speeding on a motorcycle
and carrying multiple weapons. He also has been treated in the
past for bipolar disorder

But this one had all the muscle and tussle.

O'Neal and Howard were banging bodies on the inside, their 500
pounds of combined weight jostling, their powerful elbows
swinging large with every move. Each team even went with two
centers on the floor - Howard and Marcin Gortat, O'Neal and
Zydrunas Ilgauskas - at the same time for stretches that crowded
the paint and made rebounds a physical punishment.

It was Superman vs. Superman. Past vs. Present.

Showered with boos on every touch, O'Neal gave glimpses that he
could be Cleveland's missing piece even though the 37-year-old
is no longer the unstoppable force that put the Magic franchise
on the map. But he helped put Howard in foul trouble for most of
the first half, helping the Cavs build a 66-51 halftime lead.

Howard took the loss particularly tough. He dressed slowly in
the locker room and didn't speak with reporters until more than
an hour after the game.

"I feel better than I did an hour ago," he said.

"It's tough," Howard said. "You want to go at a guy like Shaq.
But I understand it's not all about individual stats. It's about
getting my team going."

The former Magic big man soaked up all the attention, too. He
had amped-up Amway Arena at his pulse, even leaving his hand up
a little longer after making free throws and scoffing at the
Superman anthem played after Howard's dunks.

"I think Shaq always plays a big game when he's matched up
against one of the big centers," Williams said.

Orlando fans have long considered O'Neal their biggest villain.

O'Neal helped the Magic to the 1995 NBA finals, returned them to
the conference finals in '96, then bolted for Los Angeles that
offseason. He won three titles with the Lakers and another with
the Miami Heat. Orlando was left in ruin.

O'Neal's new team isn't so dependent.

The Cavaliers made the move for O'Neal after the Magic
eliminated them in six games in the conference finals last
season. The loss was so demoralizing that James left without
shaking hands with Orlando players and skipped his post-game
news conference.

While O'Neal is no longer an unstoppable force, his presence
allows the Cavs to guard Howard one-on-one. That alone helps
Cleveland avoid those matchup problems on the perimeter that was
last season's downfall.

After the Lakers defeated Orlando in the finals, the Magic felt
they also needed help. So they acquired Carter from New Jersey
and parted ways with Hedo Turkoglu.

But this one was just a sneak preview.

The Cavs and Magic don't play again until Feb. 11 in Cleveland,
perhaps the first time both will be at full strength and in
their groove.

"It's just one game," James said. "We will see them later on
this season."

NOTES: Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said he's planning to continue
to play O'Neal for about 28 to 32 minutes a game, not wanting to
wear out the aging center. ... Howard picked up his second foul
with 9:42 remaining in the first quarter. After being fined
$15,000 by the league a day earlier for comments critical of
officials on his blog, Howard showed no signs of complaining
about the call and walked quietly to the bench.